


Among the six percent

by sammys_lover



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: :O, Deaf Reader, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, I suck at tagging, Pining, Slow Burn, Slow-ish burn, Violence, at least at first, hmmmmmm, injuries, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-08-18 19:56:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16523612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sammys_lover/pseuds/sammys_lover
Summary: You awake in a strange room, awoken by a six-fingered touch.What the hell happened to you?





	1. An awkward introduction

My eyes open slowly, and I let out a deep breath. What happened? Where am I? Who was moving my arm?

Wait, moving my arm?! 

I sit upright quickly, yanking my arm away from whoever had a grip on me. 

I raise my arm to strike, but freeze when I make eye contact with the man kneeling beside the couch I was on. 

He had been wrapping bandages on my still stinging wound. 

I see his lips move, but I hear nothing. absolutely nothing. 

Oh, god. 

I move my hands rapidly, attempting to sign all my questions at the same time. 

"Who the hell are you?! Where am i!? What happened to me?!" 

I felt tears pinprick my eyes as i lower my hands to hug myself, gripping my clothes, prepared to fight my way out. 

I see a faint pink tint rise on his face, his own hands moving and signing back to me. 

"Please try to remain calm. My great nephew found you unconscious in the woods and brought you to our home." He Paused. "I'm Stanford pines. You may call me ford, if you wish."  
My eyes lingered on his hands for a moment. 

'That's so cool...' I thought, my eyes flicking back up to his as he moved his hands out of view. 

I feel a twinge of guilt, quickly signing an apology. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stare! I just-" you paused. "I mean, i just think that's so cool! Your hands, i mean. I mean, your fingers." I pause again, signing 'sorry' one more time. And then a “That sounded creepy. I’m so sorry.” 

I saw him laugh a little. 

"It's fine! What is your name?" 

"I'm F/n L/n . You can call me Y/n." 

I notice my arm started bleeding again when I lowered my hand, blood dripping down to my wrist. 

I sign another apology about the mess of blood, and he tells me it's alright. 

"May i?" He asks, nodding to my arm. i extend it. 

"Thank you, Ford." 

He nods, signing back a quick "you're welcome." 

I watch his hands as he works, still intrigued. I want to talk with him, but I should be careful. You never know, after all. 

"Where am i?" 

He pauses to answer. 

"Gravity falls, Oregon. I've never seen you in town before. Do you live here, or do you not remember?" 

I hesitate. "I remember...i'm here researching the wildlife. You wouldn't believe half the things i've seen here. All i remember is something... bright. i just remember pain. It must have been the same thing that made me lose my hearing. I'm not deaf." I shake my head, screwing my eyes shut for a moment. "I mean, i am right now, but i am not normally." 

I had suddenly become aware of the horrid pain in my back as it hit me like a truck.

I must make a noise as I become aware of it, because ford sits me up, asking for permission to lift my shirt. I tell him yes, sitting up and turning around as he examines me. I feel his fingers lightly trail over my back. It’s been so long since I'd actually had human contact...It was odd. In a comforting way.

After a moment, he gently lowers my shirt and I turn around. 

"How bad is it?" I sign, my eyes welling with tears from the dull pain. I blink them back. 

"Well," he starts, pausing for a moment, his eyes flicking from mine to his hand and back. I'd swear he shook his head a little bit. He continues. "You have a very large bruise. I'm not sure if it's anything serious, but It does look painful. I'm not sure what could have caused that aside from a nasty fall." 

I nod, understanding. 

"None of my bones are broken, know that much." 

Ford nods. 

There's a moment of just staring. 

"Thank you for not harming me." I sign, attempting to stand. 

Ford helps me up. 

"Of course, Y/n. Is there anyone you need to call?" 

I smile sadly up at him. "No. I've been all alone for a while." He nods in understanding. 

I let out a sigh. "I'm sorry you had to care for me. i can leave now and get out of your hair." I see Ford shaking his head before I can even finish signing. 

"No, no, you're injured. I couldn't send you out there without anyone to depend on." There's a look of pain in his eyes for a split second, quickly gone. "If you need to, you are welcome to stay here. If not, at least allow me to escort you back to town." 

I think on it for a moment. i had no idea Where i was, how i got there, and all i knew about this man was his name. But on the other hand, He had been nothing but kind. And i really didn't have anywhere to go. 

"...Are you sure i'm not a bother?" 

"Not at all! My great niece, Mabel, and nephew, Dipper, would be happy to help with whatever you'd need. my brother Stanley also lives here, so you'll have quite a bit of help. And there's always myself, of course." 

I stare for a moment. Why is he being so kind? 

He moves out of the room, motioning for me to follow him before hiding his hands from sight. 

He leads me up the stairs, guiding me down the hall and pushing open the door to a darkened room. 

"You may stay in here, if you wish. There are clothes around here if you'd wish to get into something else. Stan stays in the room next to this one, and the kids are staying in the attic. The kitchen is down the stairs to left, and you are welcome to anything in the fridge you'd like. I'll be in my lab, should you need absolutely anything." 

“A lab? You’re a scientist? A Doctor?” 

I watch him give a small laugh. 

“I will explain more in the morning, once you’re better rested.” 

He turns from me to leave for his lab, but i stop him by attempting to make a small noise. 

He turns towards me. 

"Can you repair my hearing?" I look into his soft eyes. 

He nods. 

"Thank you. Let me know if you need me to do anything to repay you.” maybe, I think to myself, I should make it clear that I won’t do absolutely anything. “but nothing sexual." I sign the last part quickly with a light blush.

I watch as his eyes go wide and his face goes red. He shakes his head back and forth, looking sort of mortified. I laugh just a bit as his flustered signing begins and my unease begins to melt away a bit. 

"No! No! I'm terribly sorry! Dipper and Mabel begged me to care for you! It's not like that at all! I don't-" 

I take a step forwards, motioning for him to stop. 

I sign with one hand. 

"It's okay. Thank you, Ford." 

I wished I could say more, If only what had happened to me hadn't taken my hearing. 

***

After that, Ford and I bid one another an awkward goodnight, and I'm left in the room. around me are stacks of books, papers, A small lamp, and a decent sized bed. I see strange bottles and what looks like a couple of decanters. all empty. I walk over to a dresser and pull open a drawer, wanting to get out of my dirt covered, blood stained clothes.

I settle on a large red T-shirt and pair of blue drawstring sweatpants. I'm not quite sure who these belong to. they smell familiar, though.

After I change, I turn towards the bed, surprised at what's laying there. 

A...book? 

It's a maroon book, with a golden six-fingered hand on the cover with a large 3 in the middle. 

That wasn't there before. 

I make my way over to it. Six fingers, huh? This has to be Stanford's.  
I decide that it's late, and that I'm sore. So i climb onto the bed, sitting up with the pillow against the headboard with my legs under the covers. I probably shouldn’t sleep quite yet. I decided to wait up for a while, just in case anyone in the house decided to enter my room in the night. Since i’ll be up, I might as well keep my mind occupied. 

I open the book. 

I begin to read. 

***

After a long night of reading Ford's book, I wake up the next morning, The journal on my chest. I bookmark the page, setting it down and Making my way downstairs to the kitchen. 

It's about six AM, and I haven't seen anyone yet. I decide to Prepare coffee for the other adults in the house that Ford mentioned last night. 

I do so as best I can.


	2. Chapter 2

*Ford's POV*

Just a few more adjustments. If only i could find that pencil. where did i put that darn thing? 

I'd fallen asleep at my desk in the lab sometime late last night after I'd gotten the young lady from last night settled into my room. 

I haven't fallen asleep at my desk since college. It's just as uncomfortable as i remember. 

Anyway, I'd woken to return working on a temporary hearing aid for Y/n. What happened to that girl? I've never seen someone with such injuries get off without internal bleeding or at least a fracture. I'll   
have to question her once I return her hearing. 

I finally figure out what exactly was missing from the hearing aid, (It was painfully simple.) and i stick it in the pocket of my coat, stepping into the elevator, riding back up to the, what is now known as, the gift shop. 

I still simply cannot believe what Stanley has done to my house. 

I sigh as the doors open, and i push aside the snack machine, quickly making my way through the house. 

I'm about to make my way up the stairs when i hear Stanley in the kitchen. 

"Y/n, right?" 

There's a silence. Obviously. 

"Oh! i gotcha. one second, kid." 

I try to hurry into the kitchen to be a translator to find Stanley and Y/n leaning over the counter. I walk over to find a small stack of paper and crayons. Y/n is writing something down in response to   
some cheesy joke Stanley jotted down in purple. 

She looks up at me from the paper and smiles, signing 'good morning!' and then my name. She resumes writing down her response in blue. 

I'm not sure what to make of the girl. This lovely-erm, This...this girl shows up at my doorstep, bloody and bruised, her hearing gone...she reminds me a little of myself. I bid her a good morning, moving to pour myself a cup of coffee. 

She's alone, she says. She's here studying the wildlife, seemingly very smart. 

And then there's the fact that i've seen her before. 

I've seen her once, in one of the dimensions that i visited. The one where i had become successful, with my own lab, teams of researchers, everything. Where i was the face of modern science. She was there. 

But more on that later. 

I'm about to pour some coffee into a mug when she gently touches my arm to stop me. She turns and grabs a mug beside her, handing it to me. 

"I was going to bring this to you as a thank you, but i was unsure of where to find you!" 

I'm honestly a little surprised. 

I thank her, and she bows her head for a moment in response, and returns to writing. 

"Stanley." 

"Mornin', Ford." 

"I'm glad the two of you found a way to communicate." 

He smiles, playfully punching her in the shoulder as he writes. She laughs a little, playfully punching him back. 

"Yeah, me too. She's a pretty great kid." 

I'm sure she is. She seems to be. 

I tap her shoulder, pulling the hearing aid out of my coat pocket, showing it to her. 

The look on her face is so bright and joyous it could have lit up a thousand rooms. 

She sets down the crayon, jumping up and down just a little bit and clasping her hands together before repeatedly signing 'thank you'. 

I can't help but smile. So does stan. 

I motion for her to sit down at the kitchen table, and she eagerly does. It's no wonder this girl was around in that other dimension. 

I brush her hair back, attaching the device to her ear. She still has a small smile on her face, signing excitedly up at me and stan. 

"I have so many questions! I would love to see your exhibits, Stan!" 

I translate for him. He gives her a wink and a thumbs up. 

"I can't wait to explore the forest! Ford! I found one of your research books, and i read a little bit of it. Do you still continue to research like that? Or do you prefer labwork? If you still do, can i help you?" 

Wait, what? my research...? She couldn't possibly mean the journals. They were burned. and after that, i threw them down the bottomless pit. How did this girl end up with one? I'd have to ask her where she came across it. 

i finish attaching the device, and i watch her eyes Widen. 

"Can you hear me, Y/n?"


	3. Mind games

*Reader POV*

I watch Ford try to talk to me, but i can't hear a thing. 

I sadly sign back to him, my excitement fading quickly. I try my best to hide it and keep my hopes up, though. 

"I can't hear you. I'm sorry..." 

He looks puzzled as he walks in front of me, his footsteps thudding softly on the hardwood floors. Who sleeps with their boots on? 

Wait a second. 

I look at the ground in shock, rapidly signing up at him as i stand, nearly falling onto him. 

"I can hear your footsteps! I can hear the floorboards!" I look around him, taking a few steps and grabbing a crayon and dropping it. It lands with a thud, and i listen to it roll. 

"I can hear that rolling!" 

I turn back to Ford. "You're amazing!" 

He shakes his head a little at me. 

"You can call me amazing after you can hear again." He continues to look puzzled. "Will you come with me, please? i'd like to run some tests." I nod. Stan seems to grab Ford's attention by saying something to him. I read his lips. 

"Don't keep her down there all day." 

Ford nods, continuing through the shack with me behind him. 

"So," I start, matching my pace to his. "What are you, anyway? A doctor, or a scientist? You never did answer." 

He opens the door to the gift shop, allowing me to walk through before signing to answer my question. 

"I suppose i could be called 'doctor'. I've certainly earned the title. I have twelve PHDs, after all. and i am indeed a scientist. I studied the anomalies of Gravity falls for a good part of my adult life, and then," He pauses for a moment, trying to decide how to continue. "Something came up. But yes, I suppose i'm both." 

He clearly doesn't want to talk about that exactly "Came up". i decide not to push him. 

"I get it. And TWELVE?" i ask, letting my amazement set in. I can see a small smile on his face as he punches in a code that i don't pay attention to into the snack machine. He gently guides me back away from the machine as it swung open and away from the wall. 

"When in the world did you find the time?!" I smile in amazement. who the hell is this guy? And where has been all my life? 

"I really think that you are the coolest person i have ever met, Ford." I grin up at him as he steps into the elevator with me. This guy’s been so nice, and I haven’t been murdered yet, so what more could you ask for? 

He nods, simply acknowledging my words. probably not used to being complimented? Maybe I should let up on those. I wouldn't want to make him too uncomfortable. 

"Do you mind if i ask some more questions? Or just talk about your journal? If i'm bothering you, just let me know." 

The elevator begins it's descent. 

"Oh no, please. I'd love to share my knowledge with anyone who wants to learn." 

"Okay! well, I've read a bit of your journal, and i've come to understand that you and i have shared experiences. Which is odd to me, but I can't put my finger on why." I pause to nervously push a couple locks of hair out of my face. 

"Like?" He asks. 

"I was picked on a lot too. people bullied and belittled me, but i was also the smarted child, mind you. despite what was said about me. but i was still..." 

"An outcast." 

You stare for a moment. 

"Yes. And I have always wanted to go and become a scientist. I wanted to travel the world. I've always wanted to make contact with the other side, or discover proof of the supernatural. That's why i came here. I was out in the woods, collecting samples of these crystals that make things grow! and shrink, too! I was collecting samples i'd discovered around a clearing. I was shrinking flowers, and then..." 

The elevator doors open, and i follow Stanford out. 

"And...I don't remember what happened next."

**Ford's POV** 

I will thank my lucky stars for the rest of my life. She just may be the woman I thought she was. That's why I've brought her down here, though. To figure out what happened, and to make sure she isn't deceiving us all. She hasn't raised any red flags, but I have been a fool in the past...As much as I hate to admit that. I refuse to make another mistake like that. 

"That's what we're down here to figure out." 

After She and I descend to the lab, (Which amazed her. My god, the look on her face as we stepped into the elevator. She had so many questions, I could see it in her eyes.) I lead her to the device primarily used for reading minds. It can also detect tumors, bleeds, chemical imbalances, any additional minor abnormalities in the human brain. She sits, allowing me to hook her up to it. 

"I can hear the metal moving." she signs, her eyes closed. 

I'm at a loss for why she trusts me so much. It reminds me of a conversation i've had with Mabel quite a few times. She reminds me that she can be trusted. that we're family. Y/n seems to have a joyous personality, leading me to hope that she'll get along with mabel. They seem alike in that way. But when it comes to her curiosity and her intellect, i see myself in her. Not that Mabel isn’t bright, too. 

I tap her shoulder, telling her to focus on my questions. I explain briefly that the machine will allow me to hear at least her thoughts. 

Her thoughts echo throughout the room. It's the first time i hear her voice. 

"Oh gosh- this is amazing, how did i end up here-did he build all this himself?-can he hear me? i wish i could hear him- why does he look so surprised?" 

In the jumble of her thoughts, one pops out as the loudest. 

"What's wrong?"  
I'm not quite sure what to say. Her voice doesn't match her face. she sounds so kind and tranquil. Not that she doesn't have a kind face! In this moment, i'm glad that she can't hear MY thoughts. I'd surely be making a complete fool of myself.

"Nothing is wrong." I reassure her, continuing to ask her my first question. 

"I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind." She shakes her head. another jumble of thoughts. 

"No, yeah, of course-" 

"Alright. I would like to know where you found that journal that you mentioned earlier." 

Her activity spikes, excited. 

"Oh wow!- the journal- you're amazing-love your work-" 

Then the most prominent. 

"I turned around, and it was on the bed. I thought someone walked in and left it for me." 

Then more passing thoughts. 

"Your artwork is amazing- I'm so sorry they were mean to you- You amaze me, oh-You have the most beautiful handwriting-" 

I...I have never recieved this many compliments in my entire life. Not from a human, anyway. Why did this woman think so highly of me? 

"I see," I sign, distracted for a moment by her passing thoughts. She's thinking about how i'm speaking to her. She's impressed by my ability to communicate with her. 

"How much of it did you read?" 

"About forty pages." 

Her passing thoughts revealed more. 

"Gnomes-Eye bats- aliens, oh wow-Your artwork-i've never been so amazed, oh my-I wish i could read the first two-" 

Heh, she really did enjoy my work. 

"I'm going to grab a device that may help restore your hearing. I'm going to have to attach some wires to your head. Is that okay?" 

"Yes." 

I could have sworn that i heard one of her passing thoughts say "I trust you." 

I...I don't know what to say to that. 

"Okay." I'm very grateful that i don't have to speak. I'm so sure she would have heard the nerves in my voice. Honestly, and this is going to sound so horribly juvenile, she is one of the first intelligent, capable, and... pretty woman I've spoken to in...well, I’ve never really had much experience speaking to women. Human women. So i suppose, next to Ever. not since college. 

I’m flattered that she thinks of me in such an admiring way, but I really shouldn't take her thoughts to heart. those feelings of hers will surely fade. I shouldn't let them go to my head. However, It’s very exciting to have at least one more a bright mind around. The more, the merrier. Additionally, she might prove useful on future trips. Should she happen to stay in gravity falls, that is. 

I turn to rummage around one of my desks for a moment, searching for my testing device. 

I listen idly to her thoughts as i search. 

“This place is amazing-I wonder what he’ll do to me, can he fix me?- Smells like pine trees-what's that book on the desk for?-” 

I bend forward to look inside a drawer. 

“Damn. Nice ass.” 

What?! 

I whip around, staring at her with a, what no doubt is, a bewildered look. 

“Oh, crap.” 

She sits, staring back at me with wide eyes. 

I stay where I am, still staring at her. I hope I've wiped that surprised expression off my face. I just... I have never in my life heard anyone say, or think, about me in that manner. Ever. She must have a horrible head injury to be thinking like that and to have lost her hearing. I’ll have to make sure she doesn’t have any long-term damage! 

Her mind is racing, but her most prominent thought is; “Can he hear every little thing I'm thinking?” with various "oh gods" accompanied by many different curses. 

I don’t want to embarrass her. I simply don’t respond. 

But nevermind that. Back to the matter at hand. Her hearing. I walk back towards her, her stare heavy on me. 

“I’m attaching these to your head. Please try to hold still.” 

She freezes, allowing me to do my work as I stand before her, bent slightly forward as I adjust her head to attach the wires. I hear her thoughts in the background. 

“Why is he being so kind to me-jeez, nobody’s been this close to me in a long time-he smells like smoke a little, but not cigarettes-I'm glad he’s being gentle with me-he has nice eyes-try not to think about how cute he is-” 

I’m not sure how many more compliments I can take. I’m honestly confused as to why she’s thinking of me in that way. Her thoughts are genuine. I would know if they were otherwise, because she would have thought up that plan! I may rule out brain damage, because she’s been alert, responsive, my machine detected no sign of swelling or bleeds, and she had no concussion! She’s thinking rationally! 

And those perfectly rational thoughts are about me. 

“Why does it look like he’s blushing?” 

Oh, no. 

I pull away as fast as possible, pulling up another chair to sit beside her, so I’m able to make adjustments to the makeshift hearing aid. 

“I’m going to talk out loud, and I want you to let me know if you can hear anything.” 

“Okie dokie, artchokie!” 

She sits quietly, eyes closed, relaxed against the seat. 

I talk absentmindedly about my research on interdimensional travel while i make adjustments, listening to her thoughts. 

“I wish I knew more about him-Boy, I'm hungry-I miss hearing things. i miss music-I hope he can fix me-I wish I knew what his voice sounded like-” 

They continue on, and she thinks about art she worked on, (Portraits, still life) her middle name, where she came from, and her want to learn about computers and a love for animating and programming. After a while, her mind drifts to songs she must listen to often.

We’re at it for about an hour and a half before I decide to take a break. I just...I can’t figure out what i’m doing wrong. 

I sign an apology, but she waves it off. 

“It’s perfectly fine, Ford. You’re trying. You’re a very kind man. Thank you for everything you’re doing for me. I know I keep saying thank you, but I don’t know what else to say. Or, think, rather. I just...I haven’t been shown this much kindness in a very long time.” 

My hand is resting on the arm of the chair. Her hand pats mine reassuringly for a moment as she gives me a warm smile. 

I... 

I’m at a loss for words. 

“Are you okay?” 

Her hand moves to touch my arm as she sits up straight. Oh, I...Why on earth am I so nervous? 

Perhaps it’s because I've seen a glimpse of a future that might come to be for she and I. 

More on that later. 

“Is he okay-what can I do-what if he’s not alright-” 

I begin taking the wires off her head, detaching her from the machine. 

“He’s so mysterious-How did he build all this-I wish i could help-” 

The room is silent as the device is detached from her completely. It feels suddenly hollow without her voice. She stands, huffing a sigh. 

“What time is it? Around noon?” She signs, giving me a light punch in the arm. “Let’s go eat a little something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the mind reading machine was a coincidence I swear, I wrote this like a year ago XD


	4. Chapter 4

***Reader’s POV*** 

Ford and I go back upstairs, immediately met by a...pig?

The fat little thing waddles up to me, pressing his snout against my leg before looking up at me with puppy eyes. 

I make a sound I hope sounds like an “aww” as I take a few steps forward, the pig following close by. 

I kneel on the floor, petting his head as he rolls over, exposing his belly. “He’s so cute!” I sign up at Ford, who has joined me beside the pig. He explains that his name is Waddles, and he belongs to his   
great niece, Mabel. I rub Waddles’ belly, watching him wiggle happily. 

The three of us are startled by what must have been a very loud noise. I can only hear the vibrations. 

I turn to see a girl, around twelve or thirteen, wearing a sweater. She’s speaking, but I can’t read her lips. She’s speaking too quickly. 

Her and Ford exchange words as he and I stand back up. Waddles rolls back over and walks over to Mabel, licking her hand as she moves to pet him, Her eyes moving between Me and Ford. 

Ford gestures to me, and the little girl waves. I wave back. Ford motions for me to follow him as the girl skips happily back through the doorway. 

I do so, following him into a little living area. Stan is sitting In a chair that looks horribly ugly, but comfortable. He’s drinking a pitt cola. He signs “Hey, Y/n.” I beam, happy that Stan’s picked up a little sign language. He seems like a pretty great guy!

They’re watching some show about a duck (?), and Mabel waves for me to join her and a boy, who I am assuming is the great-nephew Ford mentioned earlier. Dipper, I think his name was. He’s writing in a notepad. He greets me, holding out his hand for me to shake as I take a seat. I’m about to try to explain my situation when someone taps my shoulder. I turn to see stan, who is handing me a notebook and pen. I thank him, and in return he gives me a wink as he takes another drink of soda, turning his attention back to the TV. 

and the next couple hours are spent in the living room. Turns out Dipper and Mabel are great kids. Mabel is pretty much one of the coolest kids i’ve ever met, the both of us loving glitter, animals, and just fun (Erm, chaos) in general. Dipper is a sweet, awkward kid, who is also really cool. He told me all about his and Mabel’s summer adventures and taught me a cipher he had learned. Ford sat nearby after returning with sandwiches from the kitchen for everyone, translating my sign language to the kids, and telling me what they were saying. Ford and I also showed them a couple signs. How to sign their names, how to ask for basic things like water and food, things like that. 

Stan, throughout the whole thing, stuck with the crayons and paper to doodle little comics for me, signing along as practice. 

All of us watched a marathon of ghost hunting shows for a good part of the afternoon after ducktective, the kids asking me questions about myself. It was only when Dipper asked if I wanted him to stitch up my backpack when I remembered- 

“My backpack!” 

I push my hair back, turning wide-eyed to Ford. 

“I had a backpack with me. I remember now!” I’m mentally beating myself up over that. That thing had my phone, wallet, identification, and my research. 

I turn to dipper, signing too quickly for him to catch, asking where he found me, and if he had my backpack.

He says something to Ford, and he explains that i asked him where he found me. Dipper looks sheepish, a tinge of fear in his eyes. 

I can practically feel the subtly growing tension. 

I turn to Ford. “Can you tell me? Please?” 

I put on my best puppy eyes. 

The rest of his face doesn’t change, but his eyes were wide and nervous. 

Slowly, he signs “okay.” and stands, motioning for Dipper to follow him. I watch as Mabel and stan follow them. I follow them too. 

"When Dipper found you, you were lying at the edge of a clearing," a pause as dipper continues his explanation to Ford. "And he and Mabel only had time to bring you back to the shack. They left your backpack there."

Dipper taps my arm to get my attention. "I'm sorry."

You feel a twinge of guilt. "Ford," I sign, my eyes flicking between him and the boy. "Can you tell him that he has no reason to be sorry. That he helped save my life?" I finish by signing "Thank you" to dipper, giving him a reassuring smile. it seems to help, because he smiles back before his attention is turned to his sister, waving him over to a kitchen area.

There’s a map laid out on the kitchen table of the town, and the surrounding area. Dipper points, Stan makes marks, and Ford instructs. Well, he’s talking. I have a vague idea of what he’s saying, but I'm still lost.

They agree on...something, Mabel running out of the room at top speed and returning with her...grappling hook. Okay, that's awesome. She hands Stan the grappling hook, and he seems to laugh. Ford kisses her on top of her head, and she give him a hug. 

Dipper hands Ford some pens and the map they wrote on. Stan pulls the boy in for a hug with his arm draped over his shoulders. Ford explains to me what’s going on as he gently taps my arm to get my attention. 

“Stan and I are taking you back to where Dipper was when he discovered you. He was tracking something...” He pauses for a moment, thinking for a moment as he and Stan guide you out the door. “I don’t want to say ‘dangerous’, but it could be potentially dangerous.” My eyes must widen, because he looks as if he regrets what he just said. Erm, signed, rather. 

“No,” I start, motioning for them to stop. “I can’t let you put yourselves in danger. I can go myself!” 

The men shoot me a look. 

“You can’t hear anything. You won’t know if the creature appears. It could have been what rendered you unconscious!” Ford signs as he turns back to the kids, probably giving them instructions. They nod,   
and Mabel gives a thumbs up as they leave the room and head upstairs. 

“Maybe we should forget my pack, then!” I try to reason as the twins head for the door. I follow as i realize that they’re just about as stubborn as I am. 

“Nonsense! It could give us clues about what had happened. Because even if that creature had been the culprit,” Ford pauses to open the door for me. Stan follows me outside, and Ford locks up. “There was a very small chance of it leaving you in that field dead or alive.” My eyes widen, but I still follow them off the porch nonetheless. We continue down the path away from the shack is silence, (I assume it's silent, anyway.)

“Are you okay?” He asks, slowing down as the three of us enter the woods. 

I nod, letting out an unintentional nervous laugh. I hope it sounded like a laugh. 

“Yes, i'm alright." Though it's only half true. I feel a little nervous, but it's not due to the dangerous monster lurking in the woods. It's because I can feel myself blushing as his soft, kind eyes meet mine. "Thank you for doing this for me. All of this.” 

He gives me a small smile as we head deeper into the woods.

I could swear i'd seen his cheeks tint pink too.


	5. A close encounter

We’d been walking for a while, and we’re about to turn back when we stumble upon a clearing. In the clearing is my now ruined backpack. The contents are strewn across the grass, which is covered in little purple and white flowers. As I get closer, I see crystals, books, notepads, pencils, pens, and an odd ruby amulet. 

I wish I could remember what happened here. 

Oh, well. Might as well gather what i can, right? 

I kneel down, gathering my things, taking in the scent of the flowers. After gathering more of my belongings, I take a handful of flowers, beginning to weave them into a crown.   
It may just be paranoia, but I could swear I feel eyes on me. I’m turning to look when i feel vibrations coming from the ground. 

They come in short bursts, and I look down, puzzled. It’s not an earthquake. Thunder, maybe? No. I look back at the twins, standing a little ways away as they pick up pens and little buttons that had fallen off my bag. They’re staring out into the woods. I guess they hear it too. 

Then I piece it together. 

Footsteps. Big ones. 

Before i can react, I’m lifted up, and suddenly I'm flying through the air. 

It was Stan! He’d picked me up, holding me close and picking me up like i weighed nothing, using Mabel’s grappling hook to escape to a nearby tree. I look down to see some kind of rock and blue crystal golem stomping out of the woods. The hearing aid Ford build enabled me to hear the horrible cry it let out as it knocked over a tree. It falls with a thundering thud. 

I’m pretty sure i’m screaming as i watch the scene below. Ford had pulled out some type of gun, aimed right at the monster as it stomps towards him. 

Stan and I are on a long thick branch directly above the clearing, about 65 feet in the air. The golem directly below us. Ford is shooting it, but what he’s doing just isn’t enough. It's closing in on him, and all I can do is sit idly by and watch? It puts a horrid knot in my stomach. This is happening so fast! Too fast!   
He’d done so much for me! They both have! 

No! I can’t just sit here! 

Stan uses the grappling hook to wrap around the thing’s arm it has raised to strike Ford, binding it as he pulled it backwards. I can see inside one of the inner pockets of the jacket that Stan’s wearing, and I reach inside to find brass knuckles. Booyah. 

My pickpocketing skills are just as good as you’d imagine, and he doesn’t realize what I've done until i slip them on and jump off the tree branch. 

***Ford’s POV*** 

The sapphire rockolom that had suddenly appeared seemed to be immune to the stun gun i’d brought along with me. That was awful news. It was about to stomp me, and I’d feared that I'd have to fight the thing with my bare hands when i heard screaming. 

Getting closer. 

Coming from above me. 

I look up to see Y/n, rocketing towards the monster with Stan’s brass knuckles on. Stan’s screaming, she’s screaming, and hell, even I’M screaming at this point.   
She lands on the monster’s head, pile-driving him with a sickening crack. 

“Holy shit!” Stan’s voice echoes as he watches from above. 

She’s still screaming, wailing on the thing, her legs wrapped around its neck as it swings its unbound hand around, whipping its head back and forth in an attempt to throw her off. It succeeds, winging her across the clearing. She rolls onto her side, cradling the elbow she’d used to inflict the damage when she fell, shrieking in pain. 

The monster turns to her, intending to kill her, no doubt, when I run up its back, taking my gun and shooting the weakest spot on its body. the crystal on the back of its head. A bright white light shines through the field. I scream for Stanley to keep his eyes shut, hoping that Y/n’s are already. 

Its roar distorts and cuts out before it falls to the ground, shaking the world around it. Thank god we’re not on a fault line.   
Stan uses the grappling hook to get down from the tree, and we both run over to the woman still on the ground. 

“Stanley, gather her things! We’re not leaving empty handed. I need to assess her before we move her!” 

He hesitates, a concerned look on his face before he begrudgingly does gather her things quickly as i make sure she has no neck or spinal injuries. 

Her screams turn into sobs that she’s choking back as she bites down, her breath ragged as as her throat becomes raw, her eyes screwed shut as I lift her of the ground. She shakily signs, asking if I'm okay. before she returns to holding her arm. Can you believe that? SHE’S worried about ME? She’s the one lying out the ground in pain! She stops cradling her arm, tucking it between her chest and mine as she clings to my coat for dear life, pressing her forehead to my sweater. 

This poor woman. 

I look down at some point to see her signing with her one hand, “are you okay?” over and over. Both to me and Stanley. 

Stanley and I rush back to the shack, and about halfway there, she passes out from what was no doubt, pain. 

Horrible amounts of pain. 

I swallow down my guilt. 

This poor, poor woman.


	6. a sense regained

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ford's a cutie, and i'm a sucker for his voice.

It’s dark.

I’m hot. 

Am I dead? 

No. 

There’s a voice. 

Whose? 

It sounds strange. 

Faint. 

Nasal? Sort of. 

Not sure. 

It says something that goes like this: 

“Sorry I gave you a fright   
When I took away your gift of sight   
The name is Bill, if you will   
I’m a being of pure energy, can’t sit still   
If you could imagine that   
I’ll give your sight and hearing back.” 

I try to think of what he’s vaguely described. 

Rule one of learning about art; 

Everything starts with a basic shape. 

Circular skull 

Square jaw 

Triangular nose- 

Everything cuts to black again. 

And then everything began to spin. 

“Now that’s the ticket!   
Oh, woah!   
Back to consciousness you go!” 

Well, shit. 

There I go. 

***   
I awake in a hospital bed, the stan twins snoring on the small couch next to it. They’d fallen asleep sitting up, Stan’s head leaning on Ford’s shoulder, and then Ford’s head leaning on his brother’s. 

I have no idea what time it is, but it’s dark out. I know that much. I also know that my arm is in a cast. My whole body is sore. Oh, god. When the fuck?   
I’ve never liked hospitals. And honestly? I’ve never made good decisions whenever someone’s put painkillers in me. I won’t even think about when my wisdom teeth were taken out. I was banned from that building for life. 

In a confused haze, I realize that a nurse will come in if my heart rate goes up too high. I try to sit up, and my head spins a little. God, I'm so sore. What the hell happened, again? 

Oh, yeah. 

Scary golem dude. 

And I did that incredibly stupid thing. 

I manage to muster enough strength to stand up and attach the...thingy from my finger to Stan’s. He doesn’t stir, and the monitor goes offline for maybe a second, and then the heart rate returns to   
normal. I creep silently to peek into the hallway. I can hear a couple nurses talking at the end of the hall. Damn it, I'll never get out like that. 

I don’t have insurance, and I can’t have them pay. No, no. 

Crap. 

I push my hair back, aware of how it’s down and in my face. It’s annoying. Maybe I should just cut it off. But now isn’t the time for that...I need to get dressed first. I look around for my clothes, not finding a thing. It’s all too clean. Too sanitary. No personality. Devoid of life aside from the three of us. Guess I'm gonna escape in a hospital gown. 

‘God, what a fucking violation.’ I thik as I prepare for my escape. ‘Taking my clothes. They weren’t even my clothes! They were...Whoevers. Extras. Whatever. Not theirs to take.’ 

I try making a few noises to see if I could really hear. I can. And I can speak. I mean, I always could, but I didn’t want to speak until I could hear. An odd thing to say, sure, but... 

I tear up a little, but I'm not sure why. I'll chalk it up to the drugs. I walk quietly to the window, moving the blinds to see a courtyard, with a rooftop right under the window. I pull the blinds up and try to open the window. It doesn’t budge. 

I’m looking around for some tape, duct tape, something. Anything to stick onto the window to keep the glass shards from going everywhere and making too much noise when I broke it to make my escape. I was going to jump from the window onto the lower roof and then onto the ground, where i could make my escape. I could explain why I left later. If they even decided to look for me. 

While I search, I discover stickers. the ones shaped like dinosaurs and stuff that they give to kids. Those’ll do. A bunch of them just might do the trick. I'm gathering as many as i can carry when I I hear a voice behind me. 

“Y/n?” 

The voice is smooth and deep, sounding scholarly and strong, despite how quietly he spoke. I turn around, looking at him with wide eyes. He signs to me that everything Is okay, when I stop him. 

“I can hear you now. I have my hearing back.” I sound so small and scared, despite sharing such good news. 

He lets out a sigh of relief, slowly leaning Stan against a pillow placed on the back of the couch and standing. 

Uh.... 

What was I doing again? 

He walks over to me, taking my hand and leading me back to the bed. 

“That’s a great relief. I wonder why the device I made took so long to work...” He mutters, his voice still husky from sleep. 

Oh, boy. 

I uh. 

I’ve always had a thing for deep voices, but this... 

Oh, boy. 

How did I not notice how hot he was before? Or did I? I dunno. Maybe it’s the drugs. 

“I have no idea...especially considering i’m not even wearing it right now.” i state, climbing into bed, still sounding tiny and...a little drugged up, if we’re being honest. Because hey, i am. So i get into bed   
and under the covers without a fight. 

His fingertips barely touch my jaw as he turns my head to the side, examining me. 

“It’s truuuue~” I say in a quiet sing-song voice, looking up at him. He pulls up a chair right next to the bed, still holding my hand. 

There’s a moment of silence. 

“Why did you do that?” 

“What?” I turn to look at him as i flop back on the pillow. 

“Back in the woods. Why did you jump? You were safe.” 

I sigh, thinking back to what happened. My reasoning might sound stupid to him, but I swallow that fear and tell him anyway. 

“It...I was just afraid it was going to kill you. I mean, I know I don’t really know you all that well, but you’ve been kind to me over the past...how long have i been out?” 

“Six hours.” 

“Yikes. Well, over the last two days, then. You and your family, you just...you’ve taken care of me. You worked so hard in that basement...lab thing to help me get my hearing back, and...” I smile a little before I quickly wipe it away. “I just...felt like if I didn’t do something, then I would be letting you down. So what if,” I raise the arm in the cast. “This happened? I’ll heal. And it was my fault we were out there anyway, so-” 

He shakes his head, stopping you. “No, no, no, it’s... Stan and I should have known better. You couldn’t hear anything-” 

I move to take his hand in mine, squeezing it. He stops talking immediately. 

“Ford. Look, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. With my...hearing loss, amnesia...this uh...” What even happened? “...broken elbow?” I asked.   
He nods. 

“ah, okay. Well, anyway, I'm just sorry. And thankful. I know that’s weird, but,” I shrug. “I’m...weird. Or so I’ve been told.” 

Ford exhales. I’m surprised he’s still holding my hand. 

“In that case, don’t worry about it. And, you’re welcome.” He looks a little nervous. “Now it’s my turn to be thankful. You made quite an impression on me- us! On Stan and I. You also saved my life. So, thank you.” 

I run my thumb over his hand as he talks, looking at him with tired eyes and a smile on my face. 

“You’re welcome. I’d do it again, if i had to. But not a third time, because then i’d be outta elbows!” I joke, getting a genuine laugh out of him.   
I wonder why I feel so comfortable with him. It’s like I know him from somewhere. Somehow. 

... 

Nah. 

“Get some rest, Y/n.” 

I give him a little smile. 

“Okay...You too, Ford.” 

I’m still holding his hand when I slowly drift back into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This one's for you, discord peeps


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